[Will the real Rachel Chu please stand up?] Co-created and performed by Nathan Joe, Amanda Grace Leo, Ravi Lloyd Gurunathan and Angela Zhang, I am Rachel Chu is a parody, critical response, and humorous ‘rewrite’ of the story of Rachel Chu — the heroine from the Hollywood blockbuster and bestselling novel Crazy Rich Asians. Described as an attempt ‘to liberate […]
[Eat Your Heart Out Daniel Day-Lewis] An improvised riff on The Crucible that makes about as much sense as the historical event it is inspired by, The Salem Bitch Trials is based on the same formula as Mackenzie’s Daughters, with most of the same cast (featuring a rotating cast of 18, the opening night performance featured Alice Canton, Lana Walters, Brynley Stent, Karin McCrackin, Johanna […]
[In the Light of Day] Why this play, and why now? It’s the question in every funding application and at every first production meeting that, whether literally asked or not, must be considered, and one for which I often struggle to find an answer when Auckland Theatre Company releases their annual programme. Presented in repertoire as the Ma & Da […]
[Oh to be a Child again…] We had forgotten how exceptional Cirque du Soliel is at creating a spectacle. The huge circus tent in Alexandra Park is reminiscent of a Big Top that transports us to our childhood in a flash – the rake of the seating, the ringmaster and clowns, beautiful people everywhere, the grease paint and sweat of […]
[Honour the Story] Uninvited is the first of the Over My Dead Body series by Tuatara Collective. This show is written/directed by Jason Te Mete, who in 2018 won Playmarket’s Adam NZ award by a Māori playwright for his play, Little Black Bitch (which will be performed later in the year as the second in the series). Uninvited is set at […]
[Fine-tuning a much-loved project] I had the privilege of watching Legacy Project’s fifth rendition in 2018, and have some familiarity with artistic director Bruce Brown’s skill at the delicate craft of short play curation. The program declares its support for passionate and creative individuals to ‘demonstrate the power we wield when we come together to share something that is meaningful […]
[Fountains of Wayne] A jukebox musical of 70s-90s pop (including ‘9 to 5’, ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’, and a Spice Girls medley), Karaoke Boiz is pure fun. A camp-fuelled tale of love, fame and loss, it tells the story of Wayne (Daryl Wrightson), the self-styled ‘King’ of Karaoke. After his flagging marriage finally flags out, Wayne goes on the […]
[One Night is Not Enough] Night of the Queer is everything you’d expect in a cabaret-style theatre show and more. Having seen last year’s NOTQ, I arrive with excitement and anticipation as the super-friendly staff usher us toward our seats. A few members of the cast, dressed in beautifully fitted one-piece bodysuits, are scattered across the floor and spontaneously dancing, […]
[Dive bombing into 21st Century Queer Relationships] In Cock by Mike Bartlett, director Shane Bosher explored the sharp edges of an intimate live-in relationship between two men. Bosher builds on this with a more focused lens in Homos, or Everyone in America by Jordan Seavey: an intense, thought-provoking production grounded in the quick-witted diatribes I’ve come to expect from Bosher’s […]
[Long Dance to Freedom] A pretty much full house at the Bruce Mason Centre on the lead up to a long weekend has to be a very good sign. And it is clear that the decision to open MADIBA the Musical, a celebration of Nelson Mandela, in the heart of Auckland’s South African community is undoubtedly an astute move. Many […]
Copyright © 2024 | MH Magazine WordPress Theme by MH Themes